If you had to take a guess at what a modern-day workforce requires from their office space, you’d be forgiven for thinking a good salary and a 9-5 were the main focus points.

Change is afoot, and our evolving working population have more specific needs to help achieve a great work/life balance, foster an environment of good mental and physical health, as well as supporting the rising costs of living.

In this feature, we’re going to run through some of the key aspects that will ensure your workforce are happy, productive and healthy.

A modern space

Natural light is an attractive design feature for modern-day living and working areas. Therefore, we made natural light a defining factor of our design. Clean, bright and streamlined spaces are a huge trend at the moment, and office environments of this nature have been celebrated by researchers for the positive benefits they offer a person’s wellbeing and health.

Natural lighting increases a person’s intake of vitamin D - a critical nutrient that reduces the risk of heart disease, weight gain, and various cancers – helps ward off seasonal depression and can even improve sleep.

In fact, According to Future Workplace’s survey, over 1,600 employees ranked “access to natural light and views of the outdoors” as their number one desire for a workplace environment.

Equally, the modern-day occupier is likely to have a deeper understanding and sense of accountability of sustainability and environmental issues than their counterparts from 10 or 20 years ago. As such, it’s important that today’s office buildings are created with a sustained future in mind.

To cater to these requirements, Centre Square has developed a series of features that ensure our buildings are future-focused, including:

• Low energy LED lighting and lighting control systems with daylight dimming
• PV panels mounted on the roof to generate onsite electricity and reduce the reliance on grid supplied electricity
• Building Energy Management Systems installed which will automatically control the building services systems to their optimum and reduce overall energy use
• Rainwater will be collected and used for toilet flushing
• Water use will be minimised using low water consuming toilets and low flow rate taps with infra-red controls

A modern-day occupier

In recent years there has been a huge change in the way we work. As the 9-5 line begins to blur and the ‘overtime generation’ creeps in, it’s becoming increasingly important to ensure a motivating space that people want to spend (over)time in.

Great ways to introduce a more enjoyable, forward-thinking and productive space include the introductions of meeting pods, break-out spaces that offer your staff the opportunity to take 10 minutes away from their desk, meditation corners, on-site shops or cafeterias and public realm areas that allow staff to get some fresh air.

As part of Centre Square’s plans, a public realm area will be created with a clean metropolitan feel, with elegant clusters of trees, ornamental hedges and wild flower planting alongside manicured lawns – all of which create a haven for wildlife and deliver a space that feels far removed from the working environment, on your very doorstep.

We’re also seeing an increase in our working population’s desire to maintain a physically healthy lifestyle, so the inclusion of or proximity to bicycle storage, gyms, grass pitches and athletics centres are hugely beneficial when it comes to recruiting and retaining the best talent.

And we can’t forget the all-important work/life balance.

We may be spending more time than ever in our offices, but an office space that’s located in towns or cities that provide super active social offerings can be the deciding factor of a company’s relocation.

Having a variety of leisure and retail districts on your doorstep can help create a feeling of place – like the user has found a home that they can work, socialise and build a life in.

In Middlesbrough, we’re fortunate enough to have an extensive catalogue of shops, bars, restaurants, hotels, sporting facilities and cafés within walking distance of Centre Square. In fact, a UK Consumer Powerhouse report that celebrates economic growth through consumer activities crowned Middlesbrough as the most thriving town centre in the UK in 2018!

Modern day occupiers don’t just want a job that pays the bills – they want a job that offers them a lifestyle that they can be proud of. Centre Square can offer just that.

Modern spaces for modern folks

If you think it’s time you moved your workforce into a 21^st century home and would like to discover more about relocating your business to the North East, get in touch with our agents today.

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